LIFESTYLES

It is said that by age 50 we have the face we deserve. For most of us that is a reflection of life and experience.
At middle age, we can polish that face with a smile or, for women, a bit of lipstick and blush. However, except for extreme plastic surgery (and excluding the picture of Dorian Gray), we are pretty much forced to wear the results of the life we lived. Events and emotions of our past are etched around our eyes and impossible to hide with anything offered at a cosmetic counter.

Tom Keller still remembers the day he said to his wife, Madaline, “Don’t tell our neighbors we’re gonna drive 1,000 miles to a stupid gourd show.” That was 15 years ago, not long after the one-time Chrysler-Plymouth-Dodge dealer had retired following 43 years in the auto and real estate business in West Point. The couple were heading out at the time to their first gourd show, in Ohio.

Chris is fascinated with the College Baseball World Series. He leans forward in his “papa bear” chair yelling at the TV. Our two dog-daughters look confused at the barrage of noise gushing from their usually calm daddy. Of course, they cannot understand that the Tigers are at bat and doing very well. The LSU players look quite sharp in the deep purples and sunny yellow of their uniforms.

From time to time I hear a teacher or professor lament, “Students just don’t read anymore.” What a pity! I know that the printed page has to vie for popularity with all sorts of high tech entertainment, but I grieve for anyone who misses the pleasure of reading a book.

Somewhere between the plain ole cuppa joe and java of old, America’s coffee drinkers became adventurous. What began in the early 1970s with start-up for Seattle’s Best and Starbucks turned into a caffeine-laced evolution that gradually spread from one coast to the other. Our love affair with the intense Italian nectar espresso — and the delectable concoctions it inspired — was on.

The mouthwatering smell of the slow-smoking grill, the familiar feel of the Tombigbee River and fireworks dancing in the sky will help us celebrate our nation’s birthday this Fourth of July, and organizers are asking for the community’s help.

For 21 summers, peals of laughter from children attending Camp Rising Sun have echoed through the tall pines surrounding Camp Pratt in western Lowndes County. For a few days each June, fishing, archery, arts and crafts, rock walls and talent shows help round out a traditional camp experience for youngsters who have already had to deal with some very untraditional stress in their young lives.

I have been reading the comments regarding the Burns Bottom “sportsplex” with interest, some amusement, and much aggravation. I am reminded of a tale I heard/read many years ago regarding an influential and wealthy State Senator from Columbus. I hope my memory serves me well here.

Extreme fatherhood seems to be in style these days. The ideal family of 2.5 children is as passé as 33 RPM records and platform shoes on men. If you are to believe reality television, families of eight to 18 children are the only ones of any interest.

“Let me tell you a secret, about a father’s love
A secret that my daddy said was just between us.
He said daddies don’t just love their children every now and then.
Its a love without end, amen, its a love without end, amen.
“A Father’s Love” by George Strait
These lyrics ring so true in the Truesdale household. Throughout the duration of this column you have heard many a story about the man behind the column’s three children — also known as Number One Son, Number Two Son, and Third Favorite. “Strummin’” this week will take on a different perspective, to tell you about Number One Dad from the perspective of Third Favorite, his only daughter, Kady.

There’s a side to Daniel Peeples you might miss on the first pass. Quiet and unassuming, the 23-year-old comes across as a reticent teddy bear of a guy. But don’t be lulled into assumptions. Put a beat or song idea into his head, and a recording camera in his hand, and mild-mannered Daniel morphs into Dirty Presley, an out-there extrovert on a mission.

Singing cowboys and gals are dusting off the songs of the old west for a unique open mic night at the Rosenzweig Arts Center Saturday, June 27. The Columbus Arts Council has invited poetic cowpokes to join in, too, with spoken word.

The public will be offered a rare opportunity Tuesday, June 23, when a special open house at the Mississippi State University Mitchell Memorial Library unveils material related to the military career and presidency of Ulysses S. Grant, a figure historians often consider one of the most complex in America’s history.

MISSISSIPPI STATE — Youth who enjoy drama, theater, music, art or literature and want to learn how computing can enhance creativity should attend the 4-H Technology and Expressive Arts Camp July 21-24 at Mississippi State University.